February, 1916.] 



IHI.-: ORCHID WORLD. 



CALANTHE HARRISII. 



EVERYONE will rendily admit that 

 ralanthe Harrisii is one of the most 

 heautifiil representatives of the genus, 

 anfl rnnsidering the dull winter season when 

 the flowers are produced, it is easy to under- 

 stand how much the graceful spikes are sought 

 after by the court florist, the trade grower 

 and the appreciative amateur ; in fact, the 

 wonder is that any greenhouse can be 

 considered complete without a few, if not 

 more, of this easily cultivated plant. 



C. Harrisii, to use the name under which it 

 is known in every collection, received an 

 Award of Merit, Royal Horticultural Society, 

 when exhibited by Messrs. Veitch and Sons, 

 December loth, 1895, and a First-class 

 Certificate, when shown by Mr. J. T. Bennett- 

 Poe, December 14th, 1897. The parentage 

 then given was C. Veitchii x C. vestita 

 Turneri, this being identical with that of the 

 earlier C. bella, to which a First-class Certifi- 

 cate was given December 13th, 1881, and of 

 which it may be considered a variety. But 

 the plant certificated as C. Harrisii appears 

 to have carried flowers much whiter than those 

 of C. bella, and as the stock now under 

 cultivation has no doubt all been propagated 

 from the original plant it seems wise to 

 preserve this name, especially when one 

 considers how universally it has been used in 

 the past. Our reproduced photograph shows 

 one of many plants which have recently been 

 grown to perfection by Messrs. Charlesworth 

 and Co. 



The two parents need consideration. C. 

 Veitchii, a hybrid between the species rosea 

 and vestita, was raised by that early-day 

 hybridiser Donw-ny, and first flowered in 1859 ; 

 ever since its production it has received 

 well-merited attention, and notwithstanding so 

 many years of existence its popularity to-day 

 is as great as ever. The other parent is C. 

 vestita Turneri, which some authorities 

 consider quite distinct from vestita, and, 

 indeed, entitled to specific rank. Its bulbs 

 are usually larger, more slender, and 

 constricted just above the middle. 



The Royal Horticultural Society, in their 

 List of Awards, consider vestita and vestita 



Turneri to l)e one and tlic same thing, so far 

 as the nomenclature of the hybrids is 

 concerned, hence C. bella and C. Harrisii, the 

 two liybrids of C Veitchii x C. vestita Turneri, 

 are made varieties of the earlier C. Sedenii 

 (Veitchii X vestita), originally raised in 1878. 



Although the flowers of this beautiful 

 hybrid are generally described as pure white, 

 such a description would not satisfy the 

 critical eye of the expert, for there are some 

 faint rose-coloured areas in various parts of 

 the flower, still, to the ordinary observer, they 

 will always pass as white flowers. 



Soon after the flower-spikes have been cut, 

 the bulbs should be carefully shaken out of 

 the compost and placed in shallow trays until 

 signs of fresh activity are noticed ; the roots 

 should be cut off to within an inch of the bulb. 

 A good method is to keep the plants separated 

 by placing sticks across the tray in order that 

 plenty of light and air may reach them, and 

 so encourage the formation of a vigorous new 

 growth. Although some cultivators place 

 these trays where the temperature is often as 

 low as 50 degrees, there are other growers 

 who maintain that 60 degrees should be the 

 minimum. No water will be needed, but if the 

 atmosphere in which they are resting is 

 unusuall)' dry a little damp moss placed in the 

 bottom of the tray may prove an advantage. 



When the new growth has made a fair 

 start and roots are pushing forth, the bulbs 

 should be potted in a compost of sweet loam, 

 adding a little sand if in any way pastv. The 

 addition of some fibre is sometimes advised, 

 yet, on the other hand, experienced cultivators 

 state that Calanthes succeed best in nothing 

 Init good turfy loam. One or two crocks in 

 the bottom of the pot are quite sufficient, 

 while the compost should not be brought up 

 to the top of the pot, but a space left to take a 

 plentiful supply of water w'hen the height of 

 the growing season arrives. Although one 

 plant, consisting of, say, two strong bulbs, is 

 usually sufficient for a single pot, there are a 

 few growers who prefer to place several such 

 pieces in a 6-inch pot, but this latter method 

 cannot be recommended. 



For some weeks after potting care must be 

 taken that the delicate new growth does not 

 damp off, and on this account no water should 



